In this tutorial you will learn how to create a 6-egg box (full of eggs). We will use 3D Rotate and Revolve Effects. We will also play a lot with masks. You may download the source file (created in Illustrator CS4, back-saved to CS2+).

Part I – Preliminaries

Step 1

Open a new 800 px x 600 px RGB document in Illustrator.
Go to Illustrator > Preferences > General and make sure that the Keyboard Increment is set to 1px.

Step 2

With the Rectangle Tool (M) create two rectangles. The sizes of mine are: the bottom 444 px x 198 px and the top 403 px x 162 px. Center them vertically and horizontally.

Select (V) the smaller (top) rectangle and tap twice the Up Arrow key to shift it 2 pixels up.

Select the bottom rectangle. Go to Effect > Stylize > Round Corners… and set the Radius to 77px.
Repeat that for the top one, this time setting the Radius to 65px.

Select both rectangles. Go to Effect > 3D > Rotate and choose the settings as in the image

Keep the two rectangles selected and go to Object > Expand Appearance.
Don’t deselect and release the clipping masks that were just created by Illustrator. To do that go to Object > Clipping Mask > Release or use the keyboard shortcut Option/Alt+Cmd/Ctrl+7.
Next go to Object > Path > Clean Up.

Finally, select both shapes and ungroup twice Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+G (or Object > Ungroup).
Now, the two shapes appear in the Layer Panel as Paths.

Copy Cmd/Ctrl+C the bottom shape and paste it to front Cmd/Ctrl+F. Keep it selected and holding down the Shift key select also the top smaller part. Choose Divide from the Pathfinder Panel. Ungroup Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+G.
Bring the frame (compound path) forward Cmd/Ctrl+] (or go to Object > Arrange > Bring Forward).

Part II – Create the box lid

Step 3

Copy the three shapes created in Part 1 and turn them upside down (to be sure it’s exactly 180 degrees hold the Shift key down)
Bring the frame part to front Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+] (or go to Object > Arrange > Bring to Front).
Apply a gradient fill as in the image below, the numbers represent the RGB values.

Copy the lid frame Cmd/Ctrl+C and paste it to back Cmd/Ctrl+B. Tap 4 times the Up Arrow key to shift it 4 pixels up.

Apply the gradient to the lid frame bottom copy as in the image (For your convenience you can make all the other objects invisible Cmd/Ctrl+3)

Here is what we get

Step 4

Select the inner part of the lid and apply a radial gradient as in the image

Step 5

Get back to the lid frame. Select it and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow… Set the parameters as in the image

(1) Since I do not want to have the lid frame shadow outside the lid we will create a clipping mask.
(2) In the Layer Panel select the lid shape. Bring it to front Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+]. Holding down the Shift key select bot the lid shape and the lid frame. To create a clipping mask either go to Object > Clipping Mask > Make or use the shortcut Cmd/Ctrl+7.
(3) Here is what we get. Select all element and group the lid Cmd/Ctrl+G.

For your convenience create a new layer Cmd/Ctrl+L. Select the lid and drag it for a while to the new layer.

Part III – Create an egg

Step 6

You may use the image below as a template to draw the shape of your egg. Lock this image Cmd/Ctrl+3. Next draw an elipse (L) starting in the center of the template egg – hold the Option/Alt key. Then reshape your ellipse using the Direct Selection Tool (A).

With the Direct Selection Tool (A) select the right half or your egg and delete it.

Set its stroke color to white, no fill and go to Effect > 3D > Revolve. Click More Options to view the complete list of options. In the image below you will find all the settings I used.

With the Shift-key hold down rescale your egg so that it was about 106 px x 144 px.

Step 7

Copy Cmd/Ctrl+C and paste to back Cmd/Ctrl+B the egg. Open the Appearance Panel and change the settings to No Shading.

(1) You should get a white egg shape.
(2) Keeping it selected go to Object > Expand Appearance.
(3) Don’t deselect and choose Unite from the Pathfinder Panel.

Step 8

Keep the just created white egg copy selected and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow and choose the settings as in the image

Select both the top and the bottom eggs and group them Cmd/Ctrl+G (or go to Object > Group).

Step 9

In order to obtain the colorful egg use orange R = 247 G = 147 B = 30 as the stroke color instead of white and choose R = 86 G = 45 B = 34 as the Custom Shading color in the 3D > Revolve Panel.
If you want to add some decor to your egg(s) (fill your box with Easter eggs maybe(?)) visit my tutorial: Create and color an eco easter egg in Adobe Illustrator.

Part IV – Create the bottom part of the box

Step 10

First we will apply gradients to all three parts created in Part I.
First add a gradient fill as in the image to the frame part:

Next to the inner part:

Next copy Cmd/Ctrl+C the very bottom part and paste it to front Cmd/Ctrl+F, tap three times to shift it 3 pixels down

Fill it with the same gradient you used for the frame part, then reverse the gradient.

Step 11

Now we will put the eggs in.
Make sure you have 5 white eggs and a colorful one. Bring them all to front Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+]. Scale down the three eggs from the second row. I used the Object > Transform > Scale (see the image below). Arrange the eggs ‘on‘ the box.

Step 12

To make sure that your eggs do not break before the frying pan is ready to receive an omelette create a tiny rectangle (M). Scale it so that it works well with the size of an egg. With the Direct Selection Tool (A) select the two bottom points and click the little Convert Point icon in the top panel. Apply the gradient fill as in the image.

Go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow and set

Place the separators between the first and the second row of eggs.
Group Cmd/Ctrl+G the first row of eggs and the two separators.

Select the inner part of the box, copy it Cmd/Ctrl+C, paste to front Cmd/Ctrl+F, then bring to front Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+].
Holding down the Shift key select it together with the group of eggs and separators.
Make a clipping mask Cmd/Ctrl+7.

Step 13

Create a simple shape resembling the wider part of an egg (the easiest way is to start with an Ellipse (L))
Copy it three times and apply the gradient fill as in the image. Send them to back Shift+Cmd+Ctrl+[ (or go to Object > Arrange > Send to Back) and place so that they constitute the base part of the box.

You may use Illustrator to distribute them evenly (select all of them and choose Horizontal Distribute Center in the Align Panel) as well as to center it with the rest of the box. To do the latter, select all three shapes, group them Cmd/Ctrl+G. Keep them selected. Holding down the Shift key select the frame of the box. Click again on the frame to make it the key object (this time you don’t need to hold down Shift as you click). This time choose Horizontal Align Center.

Step 14

Now, a little bit tricky part where we will add a shadow inside the box. Note that the eggs are over the frame so if we add Drop Shadow effect to the frame, the shadow will not be visible on the eggs. And we want to have it on the eggs in the front row.
Here is how we will deal with that.
(1) Copy Cmd/Ctrl+C the frame, paste it to front Cmd/Ctrl+F then bring to front Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+]. Go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow… and use the settings as in the image.
(2) With the Rectangle Tool (M) create a rectangle that divides the frame vertically into two parts. Send it backward Cmd/Ctrl+[ (or go to Object > Arrange > Send Backward).
Holding the Shift key select both the frame and the rectangle and choose Divide from the Pathfinder Panel. Ungroup the objects. Delete the rests of the rectangle. Also go to Path > Clean Up.
(3) Here is what we get.

(4) Copy Cmd/Ctrl+C the inner shape of the box, paste it to front Cmd/Ctrl+F then bring to front Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+].
Holding the Shift key select it both with the bottom half of the frame. Make clipping mask Cmd/Ctrl+7.
(5) Again copy Cmd/Ctrl+C the inner shape of the box, paste it to front Cmd/Ctrl+F then bring to front Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+] and holding the Shift key select it both with the top half of the frame.
(6) In (4) and (5) Illustrator created groups that contain the clipping mask and the masked object. In the Layer Panel select the group created in (5) and bring it back so that it was placed directly under the eggs from the second row. It’s done.

Step 15

Copy Cmd/Ctrl+C the bottom parts of the box that you created in Step 13 and paste them to front Cmd/Ctrl+F. It might be more convenient if you ungroup them for a while Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+G. Select each one separately and apply the gradient fill as in the image. Next select all and in the Appearance Panel change the Blending Mode to Multiply and decrease the Opacity to 42%.

Step 16

Select the shape that makes the tiny border of the box frame. (In the Layer Panel you should find it just above the elements we worked on in the previous step).
Copy it Cmd/Ctrl+C, paste to back Cmd/Ctrl+B then send to back Shift_Cmd/Ctrl+[.
Go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow… and enter the settings as in the image

Step 17

With the Ellipse Tool (L) create an ellipse. Send it to Back Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+[. Place it as in the image and fill with the black to white gradient as you can see below.
Note: If you are using Illustrator CS4, select the white gradient stop and set its Opacity to 0. Decrease the Opacity of your ellipse to 70% and skip to Step 18.

Copy the ellipse Cmd/Ctrl+C and paste it to front Cmd/Ctrl+F. Select both of them and go to Transparency Panel. Choose Make Opacity Mask.

To edit the masking object select its thumbnail in the Transparency Panel. It’s the one on the right (left thumbnail represents the opacity mask, right thumbnail represents masking objects). Then inverse the gradient and check ‘Clip’ in the Transparency Panel.

Click the masked artwork’s thumbnail (left thumbnail) in the Transparency panel to exit mask-editing mode.
Select the masked ellipse and in the Appearance Panel change the Blending Mode to Multiply and decrease its Opacity to 70%. Holding down Shift and Option/Alt key drag the ellipse under two other parts of the box.

Step 18

Put the lid group back to the layer we work on and send it to back Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+[.
Create two rectangles, mine are filled with R = 153 G = 134 b = 117. Try to position them as in the image. Group them Cmd/Ctrl+G and and send to back Shift+Cmd/Ctrl+[.
Select all and chose Horizontal Align Center from the Align Panel.

Holding the Shift key drag the rectangles and the lid down so that to position the three groups properly. The 6-egg box is ready, it’s time to prepare a pan for an omelette.

Thank you for reading. I’m looking forward to your comments.
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